Lexic.us

Definition of Lay off

1. Verb. Put an end to a state or an activity. "They lay off moving "; "Quit teasing your little brother"

2. Verb. Dismiss, usually for economic reasons. "She was laid off together with hundreds of other workers when the company downsized"

Definition of Lay off

1. Verb. (transitive) (of an employer) To dismiss (workers) from employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume, often with a severance package. ¹

2. Verb. (transitive) (of a bookmaker) To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk. ¹

3. Verb. (transitive idiomatic) To cease, quit, stop (doing something). ¹

4. Verb. (transitive and intransitive idiomatic) To stop bothering, annoying, teasing, pestering, pressuring, being aggressive with, or hovering over someone; to leave (someone) alone. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Lay Off

lay day lay days lay down lay down one's flag lay down the law lay down the marker lay eyes on lay figure lay hands on lay hold of

lay in lay into lay it on thick lay low lay of the land lay off lay on lay on the line lay one's cards on the table lay open

lay out lay over lay person lay preacher lay preachers lay reader lay readers lay rubber lay siege lay speaker

Literary usage of Lay off

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Principles and Practice of Surveying by Charles Blaney Breed, George Leonard Hosmer (1906)
"TO lay off AN ANGLE BY REPETITION. — There is no direct method of laying off an angle by repetition as in the case of measuring an angle, therefore the ..."

2. South Eastern Reporter by West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, West Publishing Company, South Carolina Supreme Court (1910)
"An appeal lies generally from the final order of county commissioners in a proceeding to lay off a road. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Highways, Cent. ..."

3. Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science (1903)
"lay off with the scale of tangents when pivoted to the drawing board a distance along the initial direction which reads c; this fixes on the board the point ..."

4. Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science (1903)
"lay off with the scale of tangents when pivoted to the drawing board a distance along the initial direction which reads c; this fixes on ..."

5. United States Supreme Court Reportsby Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Company, United States Supreme Court by Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Company, United States Supreme Court (1882)
"But more especially, it was indispensable wherever the commissioners were about to lay off lands for the officers and soldiers, adjacent to a salt ..."

6. Plane and Spherical Trigonometry: And Surveying by George Albert Wentworth (1887)
"14) usually consists of a semi-circular piece of brass or german silver, having its arc divided into degrees and its centre marked. To lay off an angle with ..."

7. Elements of Surveying and Navigation: With Descriptions of the Instruments by Charles Davies (1866)
"TO lay off AN ANGLE.. 43: To avoid, as far as possible, the use of fractions, ... 90» 90° To lay off an angle, is for instance, the angle 14° 20'. ..."

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